A native of Marion, Indiana, Mary Ann Coleman graduated from Auburn University and worked as a social worker in Florida before moving to Atlanta, Georgia. She married artist and University of Georgia professor Oliver M. Coleman, Jr. in 1955. They were married until his death in 1998. Mrs. Coleman's poetry was originally known for its semi-autobiographical free verse, which explored familial relationships. Later, in her career, Mrs. Coleman focused her efforts towards religious imagery, children's poetry, and short stories. Her writing was widely published in magazines, journals, anthologies, and textbooks. Her four books of poetry are Disappearances (1978), Secret Passageway (1989), Recognizing the Angel (1991), and The Dreams of Hummingbirds: Poems from Nature (1993). Mary Ann Coleman received the Poetry Society of America's Consuelo Ford Memorial Award, the National Cynthia Cahn Memorial Award of the Anhinga Press, and the International Sri Chinmoy Poetry Award. As an educator, Mrs. Coleman conducted writing workshops in local schools at all levels, from continuing education programs at the University of Georgia, Athens to elementary schools. Mary Ann Coleman in survived by her sons Jeff and Christopher Coleman.
From the description of Mary Ann Coleman papers, 1938-2003. (University of Georgia). WorldCat record id: 429691053
